Cottage KERF: Downstairs Living

There is a sweet curved wall on the right there where I have hung a string of Victory Garden postcards that match the larger posters I have. They add a pop of color to an otherwise white, hard-to-decorate space.

Here’s what the family room looked like when we first moved in and bought a couch. Pretty empty!

And here it is dressed up and settled in:

Continuing around the stair wall, you’ll see the couch faces our entertainment center and TV

And from my cozy spot, you can see back to my desk and the nice view outside

And lastly, the view from the TV corner:

If you had asked me during our house hunt if I cared about a family room verses living room, I would have said naaah. Why would I need two living rooms? Now I get it! You have your formal living room to look perfect and entertain guests and your family room for super comfy ugly couches!

This couch is not the prettiest but it is most definitely the most comfortable ever – especially with the massive ottoman! We actually had plans for a sectional, but those turned out to be too expensive or just uncomfortable at the stores we visited. Our second try was a much bigger version of this couch, but it wouldn’t fit!!!!!! We tried everything short of cutting a hole in the wall and had to send it back and exchange it for the loveseat version. This couch is perfect for two, crowded for three and overflow to the chair for four.

We got this rug from Overstock.com – really like the colors and design and it was inexpensive for its size too.

Our chairs (the other one is in the living room) are from Karen – she had them custom made in the 90s. I hated to split them up, but we really needed one per room, and it’s worked out well. Black + white punch in both spaces! The pillow covers I bought on Etsy. I love the pattern and bright color, but they are smaller than I had hoped and wrinkle easily, so I am not sure I’d recommend them for a living room.

Our entertainment center is also a piece of Karen’s that was too big for her current house. It’s super nice and we were thrilled to house it for her. I just hope she doesn’t ever ask for it back! The TV is a hand-me-down from Emily and Casey!! It hums sometimes so they got a new one and we happily accepted our first flat screen 🙂 The lanterns on the side were a wedding gift from Pottery Barn housing a 26 candle set I bought for my birthday : )

I keep this giant basket of blankets next to the couch – the basket was also Karen’s!! No idea where she got it.

The final station in the family room is this little cut out nook that serves as a printer/office supplies area as well as miscellaneous bookcase storage. The fancy ladies prints are Godey’s Lady’s Book [one of the most popular publications for women of the 19th century] and were framed by my grandmother.

I have one more “wing” to show you last: the guest room, guest bath, laundry room and brewery!